Slugs are a variety of gastropods that have lost their shells during evolution. Their body is a continuous sole, capable of modifying its shape. The animal moves due to muscle contraction. The senses are located on the head and are represented by tentacles. The skin epithelium produces mucus every second, which prevents drying out of the cover, accelerates movement, and in some cases repels enemies.
In nature, there are more than one hundred species of mollusks, all of them are representatives of one of three families: Onchidiacea, Soleolifera or Sigmurethra. There are terrestrial slugs that cause considerable damage to agricultural land.
The ideal environment for the slug is a dark place with high humidity. Propagate at a temperature of 14 to 18 degrees Celsius. Warm rainy autumn, which was preceded by a hot, humid summer, reproduction occurs more intensively.
In the garden or garden, the following can be affected by a mollusk invasion: strawberries, strawberries, greenhouse plants (bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers), fruit trees, various types of cabbage, fresh herbs, sprouts.
Pest Management Methods
Fighting slugs in a garden plot can be carried out by physical, chemical, mechanical and natural methods.
To resort to the use of chemicals is the last thing. In this case, it will not be possible to maintain the ecological purity of plants.
Consider each of the described methods in more detail.
Physical methods
Manual collection is considered one of the most effective. Collect snails, putting their hands in gloves, it is better immediately after the rain. At this time, they show maximum activity and leave their shelters. Most gardeners, upon encountering a sticky pest, throws it over the fence. Such measures will not help to reduce its number. To increase the effectiveness of the method of combating slugs in the garden, they need to be sprinkled with table salt. A pinch on the sole is enough to kill.
To get rid of annoying neighbors in the garden will help the systematic mowing of the grass, as well as an examination of the potential shelters of animals, where they hide in dry weather. For example, if large plants like spherical thuja or Cossack juniper grow on the plot, the crown of which forms a special microclimate under themselves, the territory should be inspected for creeping pests twice a week. Snails willingly use such places for shelters. A large alternative can be large leaves of zucchini.
An effective way to combat slugs in a garden plot with folk remedies will be feeding the poultry, it is not recommended to perform such manipulations with animals because of the danger of infection with parasites.
Mechanical methods
To rid flower beds and garden crops from the invasion of snails, you can create artificial barriers. It is known that pests do not like to crawl through porous materials - crushed limestone, fine gravel. Another effective way is to use all kinds of lures, such as tanks with sweet juice or beer. As part of the fight against slugs in the garden, the bait is dug at ground level. Replace them with a bunch of grass moistened in one of the above solutions. Bait should be systematically viewed, and accumulated mollusks - destroyed.
Additional features and events:
- Finished gutters placed around the perimeter of the beds, circles filled with water - the pest will not get through the water space.
- Shedding of beds along the perimeter with lime or wood ash.
- Fine gravel, eggshell, broken shell for sprinkling the area next to cultivated plants. Sharp tips will prick the abdomen and the animal will not cross the barrier.
- Barriers made of wire connected to batteries. The discharge of electric current will frighten the mollusk, and it will recede.
Chemical method
Chemistry in the garden plots is controlled using the Thunderstorm (Meta) preparation. The basis of the granular agent is a saturated blue color, the active substance is metaldehyde and others, which attract the animal. The action of the drug is contact-intestinal, the death of snails will be almost instant. It has medium toxic properties for warm-blooded. “Thunderstorm” is poured with an even thin layer at the rate of 15 grams per 5 square meters. The tool is expensive, its use in large areas will cost a round sum. To save money, it is recommended to use it for the preservation of the most valuable representatives of the flora.
According to experts on the fight against slugs in the garden, the effectiveness of the drug decreases sharply after rain. If precipitation is planned in the near future, it should not be used. A more democratic way to deal with snails is to spray slaked lime on the infected areas.
Biological methods
A great opportunity to say goodbye to slugs is to draw animals and birds that eat gastropods into the garden. An indispensable assistant in the fight against slugs in the garden in the fall - a hedgehog. A small dark lump with a prickly back is a regular on personal plots and often settles on them. To lure it, it is enough to leave a saucer with milk in a secluded place and cover with branches.
You can attract lizards, who also prefer to feast on snails, by building a slide from a pile of stones of different sizes in a sunny place. In the list of lovers of crawling food, you can safely include blackbirds and starlings. Of particular note is the garden ground beetle. She preys on leaf-eaters - one of the most dangerous representatives of the species, capable of destroying the harvest of fruits and vegetables in a matter of days.
Safe, affordable and effective methods of controlling slugs in the garden include planting special plants that repel pests. They do not tolerate the smell of garlic, so a piquant product is planted between the beds of plants that are eaten by gastropods. Here you can add parsley, sage, bay leaf, lavender. Effective as a mulch are dried nettles and pine needles.
Vinegar against slugs
Garden owners who do not want to risk the ecological cleanliness of their crops and use chemical preparations can use folk remedies in the fight against slugs in the garden. Vinegar is considered one of the most effective substances. Regular table vinegar can handle creeping pests. To prepare a deadly solution, 65 ml of vinegar in 9% concentration and 10 liters of water will be required. The mixture is sprayed on the leafy part of the plants and the clusters of gastropods are watered. During processing, it is important to ensure that the solution does not penetrate the root system. Fighting slugs in the garden with vinegar should be carried out at regular intervals. Overuse of acid can harm plants.
Mustard will quickly and effectively rid the plot of snails
For representatives of the flora, mustard powder is absolutely harmless, which can not be said about crawling creatures that leave characteristic shiny traces. There are several options for using piquant powder. The simplest is to sprinkle dry soil around the bushes. More complex, and therefore more effective - spraying with a solution. To prepare it in 5 liters of cool water, you must dilute 100 grams of powder and let it brew for several hours. The best time to deal with slugs in the garden plot with mustard is sunset in dry, calm weather. To forget about mollusks at least until the next summer season, three treatments with an interval of 4 days are enough.
Hot Pepper Broth
Red pepper is known for its baking properties. Getting on the mucous membrane of the animal, it begins its destructive effect in a matter of seconds. Smelling the pungent smell of a plant, pests instantly leave the danger zone. First, pepper pods need to be removed from the seeds, chopped and dried. Pour half a kilogram of dry ingredient with 10 liters of water, hold for 48 hours, bring to a boil, hold for another 48 hours. The broth can be prepared for several applications and stored in a warm place for two to three weeks. You can spray the product with any kind of garden and garden plants. Experts recommend combating slugs in the garden with red pepper before the flowering phase. In a seven-liter bucket of water, it is enough to pour half a liter of broth and half a glass of liquid detergent. Mix the consistency thoroughly and process the plants from the sprayer. You can repeat the event after flowering, then the solution becomes weaker. The concentration of soap and a decoction of pepper is halved.
Beer - a fast and economical way
The smell of a hop drink is especially attractive to snails. Near the plants actively eaten by pests, containers (a glass jar, a plastic glass, a bottle with a wide neck) are dug into the ground so that the edges of the walls protrude 2-3 centimeters above the ground. The container is filled with beer at 60-70% and, if possible, equipped with protection against pets and unforeseen contamination. It is necessary to replace the foam in the container at least every 3 days until the pests completely disappear from the site.
Needles
Mulching the beds with a large layer of needles is an effective method against gastropods. Long spiky needles will interfere with the mollusk when moving, and the rich smell will scare away. A nice bonus will be rotted needles - one of the best organic fertilizers.
If there are no conifers nearby, tobacco or oak leaves, as well as dry sawdust, are suitable for mulching the beds.
Prevention of the appearance of garden slugs
Rational gardening is one of the main conditions in this case. To prevent the occurrence of mollusks in the infield, it is necessary to introduce technologies that increase crop yields, improve soil structure, and choose the right seed variety. In the garden, all work must be done in a timely manner, not without dispensing with maintaining hygiene on the site, attracting natural enemies of pests.
Creating uncomfortable conditions for the life of slugs. When digging the earth, you should destroy the egg masonry, systematically update the mulch layer, remove stones, boards and other objects that are unnecessary on the site.